Part of what makes this game so fantastic is that it has the same joyful resonance as those mid-'90s NHL classics. The good times are back.

Slightly flawed in some spots -- its Career mode, for example, is a pyramid of increasingly challenging events rather than a glimpse into a racer's life -- DiRT is nevertheless a big, beautiful game that goes places previous McRaes have not. It's quite simply one of the finest driving-centric titles to hit the still-new PS3 world.

Part of what makes this game so fantastic is that it has the same joyful resonance as those mid-'90s NHL classics. The good times are back.

The one killer drawback to Jam Sessions is that you can't play individual notes.

Though it gets slightly tiresome by the conclusion, Jungle Climber makes the most of its peg mechanic and provides a fresh change of pace from the familiar Mario side-scrolling school of thought.

It's a great game for a younger DS audience who will be thrilled simply by seeing their creations run around the screen and get wrapped up in the narrative (and maybe even trade creations with their friends), but older gamers will find disappointment around every turn in the creative freedom that it hints at but never truly delivers on.

If you're a longtime fan, Redemption simply gives you more of what you want with no radical changes -- so in that regard, aficionados will likely be satisfied. Generally speaking, .hack has a neat idea, but the games just can't quite balance the concept with an action-RPG play style.

From 2K8's tricky new controls to the number of gameplay hiccups, we simply can't recommend this skater over EA's for this hockey season.

While the story and writing are reasonably solid, they're not nearly riveting enough to outweigh the too-simple, occasionally glitchy nature of the fundamental game.

Whether under the guise of modeling real-world weapon accuracy or not, no excuse rationalizes repeated misses with scoped-in headshots from a sniper rifle.

Similarly, Airborne's standout feature -- land where you will and fight your way through objectives in whatever order you want -- is less about reliving history than saving a sagging series for which decision-making has meant "where to shoot" and "what to shoot with."

This might make a good present for your nephew's upcoming birthday, but for those looking for a good Naruto game worth sinking your teeth into, you're better off plunking down for one of the Ultimate Ninja games.

OW2 looks and sounds great, and offers more content than any Worms before it. It's an excellent value and a wonderful addition to the PSP's action-strategy lineup.

OW2 still looks and sounds great though, and offers more content than any Worms before it. It might have scored even higher if it had been $10 cheaper (it would have truly been a must-buy for all DS owners at $20), but it's still an excellent value and a wonderful addition to the portable action-strategy lineup.

Lair is a game that you'll want for its eye-popping experience rather than its gameplay. So buy it if you want to justify all the thousands you spent on your PS3 and that 1080p HDTV you can see from the International Space Station. Don't buy it if you want a dragon that does what it's damn well told.

It's not easy to create a multiplayer game that's utterly accessible to first-timers and yet varied enough to have serious legs.

I've got a tremendous amount of respect for the men behind Blue Dragon...but at the same time, I can't overlook its massive warts just because three developers I grew up idolizing created the game.

The depth and quality of the special quests, like the two-player treasure hunts, makes Monster Hunter Freedom 2 exceptionally replayable, but as previously mentioned, your experience boils down to having people to play with, lest the game's depth be squandered.

If you don't mind a bit of frustration, and have the time and energy to put into it, Stuntman: Ignition can be an extremely rewarding experience. It's not for everyone, though.

The other major RPG released this week, the disappointing "Blue Dragon," promised to transport players back to those beloved days. Wild Arms 5 is the game that actually delivers.

It comes off as a hasty advertisement for Guild Wars 2.

Major events -- such as the arrival of a Crusading noble to join in your jolly pagan fox hunt, or the forming of a new faction -- keep you on your toes and inject personality, encouraging you to almost "role-play" the tyrannical zealots or freedom-fighting underdogs you're controlling.

Combine that frustration with the almost insultingly shallow combat and it's hard to get too excited about jumping back into the game more than once or twice.

Combine that frustration with the almost insultingly shallow combat and it's hard to get too excited about jumping back into the game more than once or twice.

But looming over everything is the fact that the most fundamental gameplay element of Tiger Woods 08 -- the swing -- is essentially flawed. And so in spite of the solid competence of most of the rest of the game, I'd recommend you rent the game before purchasing. Just to make sure you've got the patience for it.

But looming over everything is the fact that the most fundamental gameplay element of Tiger Woods 08 -- the swing -- is essentially flawed. And so in spite of the solid competence of most of the rest of the game, I'd recommend you rent the game before purchasing. Just to make sure you've got the patience for it.

Both games -- the Wii version especially -- ought to be so much better.

While you can manually toggle the maximum strength of the shot, the analog swing is still enormously more sensitive than in previous versions -- only there's no meter to give you any indication of how strong a putt you're making. Frustrating? You bet.